深圳仙湖植物园位于深圳市罗湖区东郊，东倚深圳第一高峰梧桐山，西临深圳水库，是一座集民族性、地方味、现代化于一体的风景植物园。

West of Wutong Mountain, the highest mountain in the city, and east of the Shenzhen Reservoir, Shenzhen Fairy Lake Botanical Garden is located in the eastern suburban area of Luohu District. It is a botanical garden and a scenic spot that combines ethnicity, local flavor and modernity.

1982年，北京林业大学的孙筱祥、孟兆祯等教授受邀来到深圳，带领设计组协助规划、建设城市公共绿地，植物园就是其中一项任务。此前，植物园的规划选址是城市中心区域的莲花山，但经设计组实地考察后，选址最终改在梧桐山的西南坡。孙教授认为，梧桐山西南坡兼具地理和人文的特性。此地环山抱水，雨水充沛，气候温暖宜人，是个不可多得的理想位置。加之当地“凤凰栖于梧桐，仙女嬉于天池”的民间故事，也为此处平添了一抹独有的趣味——既有如此钟灵毓秀的“宝地”，那便唤作“仙湖”。

In 1982, professors Sun Xiaoxiang and Meng Zhaozhen of  Beijing Forestry University were invited to Shenzhen to head a design team commissioned to do urban planning for the construction of public greenery projects, and the botanical garden was one of the tasks. Initially, the botanical garden had been planned around Lianhua Hill in central Shenzhen. After a field trip, the design team changed their plan to locate the botanical garden on the southwestern slope of Wutong Mountain, which they said was an ideal location. According to Professor Sun, the new location was an ideal place for the botanical garden as it was surrounded by a mountain and a reservoir, and had ample rainfall and a warm and pleasant climate.

In addition, a local folk tale about a phoenix residing in Wutong Mountain and fairies seen playing in the lake adds a special touch to the area. They decided to name it Fairy Lake.

深圳仙湖植物园始建于1983年，自1988年5月1日起正式对外开放，那时的仙湖植物园是当时深圳最大的公园，也是当时全国最大的植物园。园内设置了仙湖、药洲、芦汀乡渡、山塘野航、竹苇深处、水景园、十一孔桥等景点，还引进了近2000种植物。

Construction on Shenzhen Fairy Lake Botanical Garden started in 1983 and it was opened to the public for visits on May 1, 1988. At that time, it was the largest public park in Shenzhen and the largest botanical garden in China, featuring the Fairy Lake, special landscapes of medicinal plants, reeds and bamboos, water sceneries, and the Eleven-arch Bridge. About 2,000 species of plants were also introduced.

1992年1月22日，邓小平同志参观仙湖植物园并植树留念。“植物园大有可为”是小平同志对深圳植物园的评价。有了小平同志的肯定，深圳加大了建设植物园的力度，裸子植物区、国际苏铁迁地保存中心、弘法寺、盆景园、化石森林、药用植物区等专类园和景区相继建成并对外开放。同时，“恐龙时代展”“植物化石展”等展览的举办也推动了景区科研科普工作的发展。

On January 22, 1992, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping visited Shenzhen Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, where he planted a tree. He said that the botanical garden had great prospects for the future. Shenzhen then put forth greater efforts in building the botanical garden, with the gymnosperm zone, the international cycad ex-situ conservation center, the Hongfa Temple, the potted landscaping garden, the fossil forest, and a medicinal plants area completed and opened to the public one after another. Moreover, a series of exhibitions such as the Dinosaur Era Exhibition and the Plant Fossils Exhibition were organized at the botanical garden, helping popularize science knowledge.

深圳仙湖植物园

The main entrance to Shenzhen Fairy Lake Botanical Garden.

尽管仙湖植物园在建成后就成为了人们喜爱的旅游胜地，但它仍一如既往地不断创新、不断发展，力争成为城市风景园林的标杆。1997年，仙湖植物园被纳入“中国生物圈保护区网络”，并被评为深圳十大景点之一。1998年，正值建园15周年之际，仙湖植物园承办了第十二届中国植物学大会。2002年12月18日，仙湖植物园正式挂牌成立“国家苏铁种质资源保护中心”。2007年，仙湖植物园被国家旅游局评为国家“AAAA”级风景区；2008年，被国家建设部评为“国家重点公园”。

The botanical garden has become a popular tourism destination in Shenzhen since its opening to the public. The park operator had spared no effort to build it as a benchmark for urban landscaping gardens through continuous innovation. It was included in the Chinese Biosphere Reserves Network in 1997, and was chosen as one of Shenzhen’s Top 10 Scenic Spots. In 1998, upon the 15th anniversary of its establishment, it hosted the 12th Congress of the Botanical Society of China. On December 18, 2002, the National Cycad Conservation Center was inaugurated there. The botanical garden was also selected as a national 4A-rated scenic spot by the national tourism administration in 2007, and was named a national key park by the housing and urban-rural development ministry the following year.

今日互动：从旅游观光休闲到普及植物科学知识，仙湖植物园开辟了一条独具特色的道路。您参观过仙湖植物园吗？您最喜爱的植物是什么呢？欢迎留言分享，小i将在留言中选取幸运儿送出小礼物。

Today's topic: From tourism and leisure to the popularization of plant science, Shenzhen Fairy Lake Botanical Garden has blazed unique trails in its development. Have you ever visited the botanical garden? What’s your favorite plant? Feel free to leave your comments and lucky people who respond will receive gifts.

来源：深圳市档案馆、i深圳

Source: Shenzhen Archives, iShenzhen

编译：深圳政府在线、Shenzhen Daily、GDToday

Transedited by: Shenzhen Government Online, Shenzhen Daily, GDToday